Stanford University Libraries, in partnership with the William
Saroyan Foundation, announced today the launch of the William
Saroyan International Prize for Writing ("Saroyan Writing Prize")
for newly published works of fiction including novels, short
stories, dramas or memoirs. The Saroyan Writing Prize, which is
planned as a biennial event, is meant to encourage new or emerging
writers rather than recognize established literary
figures.

Entries competing for the Saroyan Writing Prize will be
received from April 17, 2002, through January 31, 2003, at the
Stanford University Libraries. Entries are limited to works
published in English in book form and available for purchase by the
general public. The winner will be awarded a prize in the amount of
$12,500. Finalists and the prizewinner will be notified by mail and
announced publicly at an official award ceremony in late spring
2003. The official entry form and rules are available at http://saroyanprize.stanford.edu.

Stanford University Libraries and the William Saroyan
Foundation have established the Saroyan Writing Prize Committee,
which will administer all nominations. In addition, a group of
distinguished judges will be responsible for reviewing qualified
entrants, nominating finalists and recommending the Saroyan Writing
Prize winner.

Because of its criteria and focus, the William Saroyan
International Prize for Writing hopes over time to join the ranks
of other notable literary awards/prizes such as the J. Anthony
Lukas Book Prize, Wallace Stegner Award, PEN/Faulkner Prize for
Fiction, PEN/Hemingway Award for Best First Book of Fiction,
National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle
Award.

"We
see the Saroyan Writing Prize as an integral activity in our
custodianship of the Saroyan archive," said Michael A. Keller,
Stanford University Librarian. "We remain deeply engaged with the
literary arts as well as the medium of the book. The proper role of
research libraries is not merely to build, preserve and provide
navigation for its published and archival collections, but also to
present and promote -- 'push' in the idiom of information
technology -- the resources and points of view manifest in those
collections. The prize is another way to focus on writing in
general and Saroyan's writing in particular."

"William Saroyan committed his entire life to writing, and his
work produced internationally acclaimed books and plays," said
Robert Setrakian, chairman of the William Saroyan Foundation. "It
was Saroyan's desire to establish a writing prize to encourage and
perpetuate the art he so loved, so it is only fitting that the
Writing Prize be launched during the first William Saroyan
Festival." The festival continues in Fresno, Calif., through May 5
(see www.saroyanfestival.com for details). "Saroyan remains one of
Fresno's most beloved sons, having given the literary world a
unique, rich perspective of Central California and its inhabitants
during his creative years of writing," Setrakian said.

Saroyan, an American writer and playwright, was a Pulitzer
Prize and Academy Award winner best known for his humorous short
stories about the experiences of immigrant families and children in
California. Much of Saroyan's other work is clearly
autobiographical, although similar in style and technique to
fiction. The fourth child of Armenian immigrants, Saroyan battled
his way through poverty and rose to literary prominence in the
early 1930s when national magazines began publishing his short
stories, including The Daring Young Man on the Flying
Trapeze, My Name Is Aram, Inhale & Exhale,
Three Times Three and Peace, It's Wonderful. He moved
on to writing plays for Broadway and screenplays for Hollywood.
Some of his most notable works include My Heart's in the
Highlands, The Time of Your Life, The Beautiful
People and his silver screen adaptation of The Human
Comedy.

Stanford University Libraries and Academic Information
Resources supports the teaching, learning and research mandates of
the university through delivery of bibliographic and other
information resources and services to faculty, students and staff.
It is tackling the challenges of the digital age while continuing
the development, preservation and conservation of its extensive
print, media and manuscript collections.

The
William Saroyan Foundation officially was founded by the author on
Dec. 30, 1966. Since then, distinguished professors, business
executives and high-ranking government officials have accepted
appointments to the foundation's board of trustees. Commencing in
1990, the trustees set a goal of bringing together into one single
archive Saroyan's entire literary estate. A decision finally was
made by the trustees to offer Stanford the assembled Saroyan
Literary Collection with provisions that would safeguard one of the
rare treasure-troves in American literature in perpetuity to carry
on the legacy of Fresno's own native son, William Saroyan.

During his
career, writer and playwright William Saroyan won both a Pulitzer
Prize and an Academy Award. University Libraries hold the Saroyan
Literary Collection and have helped launch a new writing prize in
his name. Photo courtesy Special Collections,
University Libraries